Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi says the state has gotten more than 1,500 calls on a price-gouging hotline in the last two days.

Bondi said Wednesday that many of the calls dealt with complaints about the prices being charged on water, food and gas, although she said people have also called to complain that stores are running out of supplies.

The attorney general also said she had been talking directly to retailers such as Amazon. Bondi says the state has received complaints about excessive delivery fees for items such as water. She says the company has told her it suspended 12 third-party vendors because of gouging complaints.

Bondi, who noted she has no authority over airlines, said she talked to two airlines about ticket prices and that both told her they were putting caps on some tickets.

Meanwhile, the core of the storm is passing just north of Puerto Rico.

8 p.m.

Irma's core will continue to pass just north of Puerto Rico Wednesday night, pass near or north of the coast of Hispaniola Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by Thursday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Officials said at least one rescue had occurred there but there were no immediate reports of injuries in the U.S. territory of about 3.4 million people.

The storm has been blamed for the deaths of at least three people so far. At least two people died and two others were seriously injured in the islands of St. Barts and St. Martin, French Overseas Affairs Minister Annick Girardin said. Another person died in the tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda, where as many as 90 percent of structures were damaged, said Prime Minister Gaston Browne, according to broadcaster ABS Television and Radio.

7 p.m.

The core of the storm is passing just north of Puerto Rico. An observing site of one of the U.S. territory's islands, Vieques, recently reported a sustained wind of 42 mph and a wind gust of 60 mph, the National Hurricane Center says.

Irma's core, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph — well above the 157 mph threshold of a Category 5 — slammed the tiny island of Barbuda before hitting St. Martin and Anguilla and parts of the British Virgin Islands.

"The entire housing stock was damaged," Browne said after visiting the island. "It is just a total devastation."

About 1,800 people live on Barbuda, Browne said, adding that there currently is no water or phone service for residents.

Shifting forecasts raised the threat to the Southeast from fierce Hurricane Irma on Wednesday and prompted emergency declarations in the Carolinas and coastal Georgia. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency earlier Wednesday for the state's 100-mile swath of Atlantic coast, which was last struck by a hurricane of force Category 3 or higher in 1898.

6:30 p.m.

With many South Florida residents fleeing their homes before Hurricane Irma, hospitals in Florida's southernmost county have put their own evacuation plans into motion.

The three hospitals in Monroe County, which includes the Keys, are in the process of shutting their doors ahead of Irma's expected Sunday arrival. The county has also ordered a mandatory evacuation for residents.

The Lower Keys Medical Center plans to evacuate patients on Wednesday night in the North Carolina National Guard's C-130 aircraft, according to Monroe County. The patients will be transported to Gadsden Regional Medical Center in Alabama.

The other two hospitals in Monroe County, Fishermen's Hospital and Mariners Hospital, have been discharging patients who are able to go home and evacuate. Those who need to stay hospitalized have been largely transported by ground to other hospitals in the Baptist Health system, according to Wayne Brackin, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Baptist Health South Florida.

Both hospitals will formally close Thursday, Fishermen's at 7 a.m. and Mariners at 7 p.m.Some hospitals in Miami-Dade and Broward counties will continue to stay open for emergencies. Brackin said that some patients are even going to the hospital early, such as women about to give birth or people who can't breathe on their own.

South Florida hospitals are themselves busy putting up shutters, stocking up on food and water, topping off fuel for generators and clearing debris that could be "picked up and shot as a missile," said Kelly Keys, emergency preparedness manager for Broward Health.

"I've seen boats on top of roofs. Anything is possible," Keys said.

6:00 p.m.

Hurricane Irma — one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic — is battering the northern Virgin Islands and hurtling toward Puerto Rico after smashing a string of small northern Caribbean islands, where at least three people were killed.

At least two people died and two others were seriously injured in the islands of St. Barts and St. Martin, French Overseas Affairs Minister Annick Girardin said. Another person died in Barbuda, where as many as 90% of structures were damaged, said Prime Minister Gaston Browne, according to broadcaster ABS Television and Radio.

The storm is one of three hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, the first time in seven years there have been a trio of hurricanes at the same time in that part of the world.

Irma's powerful center will pass just north of Puerto Rico — a US territory of about 3.4 million people — on Wednesday evening, bringing heavy rain and dangerous coastal storm surges, forecasters said.

Irma destroyed four of the most solid government buildings on the French-administered portion of nearby St. Martin, an island of about 75,000 people, French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said in Paris.

5:30 p.m.

Hurricane Irma — one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic — is battering the northern Virgin Islands and hurtling toward Puerto Rico on Wednesday afternoon after smashing a string of small northern Caribbean islands, where at least two people were killed.

Irma's core slammed Barbuda early Wednesday before moving over St. Martin and Anguilla and parts of the British Virgin Islands. Its maximum sustained winds of 185 mph were well above the 157 mph threshold of a Category 5 storm.

Charles Fernandez, Antigua and Barbuda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, told broadcaster ABS Television and Radio that Prime Minister Gaston Browne saw "a lot of destruction (in Barbuda), upwards of 90%."

Irma's powerful center could pass just north of Puerto Rico — a U.S. territory of about 3.4 million people — on Wednesday afternoon and night, threatening heavy rain and dangerous coastal storm surges, forecasters said.

CNN's Leyla Santiago, in the capital of San Juan, said there were already power outages as strong winds lashed the island and the center of the storm moved just off the northeast coast.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. It takes effect at 8 a.m. Thursday for the entire state. He added that all swift-water rescue teams the state had sent to Texas for Hurricane Harvey were expected back in North Carolina by Wednesday night.

France's overseas minister is reporting at least two people are dead and two seriously injured after Irma crossed French-administered Saint Martin and St. Barthelemy.

In a translated report from French broadcaster BFMTV, Annick Girardin said communications are just beginning to return and lessening winds will make air reconnaissance easier.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he expects that more victims and heavy damage will be discovered when Hurricane Irma has left the French West Indies.

Speaking at a crisis center set up at the Interior Ministry, Macron told reporters Wednesday night that while if it’s too early to give a precise toll and figures, he can already say “the toll will be harsh and cruel.”

Early reports suggested damage on parts of the smaller islands of the Caribbean — a tropical region popular with tourists.

Barbuda, home to about 1,600 people, was "so badly damaged that there is no communication" from the island, said Keithley Meade, director of a meteorological office in Antigua and Barbuda.

"We have a lot of broken trees across the island," Meade said from Antigua, whose 80,000 people comprise most of the two-island nation's population.Irma destroyed four of the most solid government buildings on the French-administered portion of nearby St. Martin, an island of about 75,000 people, French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said Wednesday in Paris.

It's likely that all other older buildings there have at least been damaged, he said.

Roughly 10 of these smaller islands — such as St. Martin, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis — were pounded by hurricane conditions. One, Guadeloupe, has about 405,000 residents. The rest have about 264,400 people combined.

2 p.m. Irma shows no signs of slowing

Heavy rain and 185-mph winds lashed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico’s northeast coast Wednesday as Hurricane Irma roared through Caribbean islands on its way to a possible hit on South Florida.

The U.S. National Weather Service said Puerto Rico — a US territory of about 3.4 million people — had not seen a hurricane of Irma’s magnitude since Hurricane San Felipe in 1928, which killed a total of 2,748 people in Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and Florida.

Georgia's Gov. Nathan Deal declared states of emergency in six coastal counties in the afternoon. Florida and South Carolina have already done the same for their entire states.

“The dangerousness of this event is like nothing we’ve ever seen,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. “A lot of infrastructure won’t be able to withstand this kind of force.”

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma’s winds would fluctuate, but the storm would likely remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two as it roared past Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, the Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas.

The strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever measured destroyed homes and flooded streets across a chain of small islands in the northern Caribbean, passing directly over Barbuda and leaving the island of some 1,700 people incommunicado.

France sent emergency food and water rations to the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out all electricity. Dutch marines who flew to three Dutch islands hammered by Irma reported extensive damage but no deaths or injuries.

While France received no immediate reports of casualties, the minister for French overseas territories, Annick Girardin, said: “We have a lot to fear for a certain number of our compatriots who unfortunately didn’t want to listen to the protection measures and go to more secure sites ... We’re preparing for the worst.”

By early Wednesday afternoon the center of the storm was east-southeast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and east of San Juan, Puerto Rico and heading west-northwest at 16 mph.

1:30 p.m. 'Eerie but beautiful'

Among the people hunkered down ahead of Hurricane Irma is Richard Branson, the head of the Virgin Group.

Branson owns small Necker island in the British Virgin Islands and he’s posted a blog entry saying he and friends have “experienced a night of howling wind and rain as Hurricane Irma edges ever closer.”

He says “the atmosphere is eerie but beautiful.”

Like many in the region, Branson says he and his group will shelter indoors as the storm hits, though his guests may have it better than most. They’re headed for a concrete wine cellar.

He adds: “I suspect there will be little wine left in the cellar when we all emerge.”

12:37 p.m. State of emergency in South Carolina

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has declared a state of emergency in to help prepare for a possible strike early next week from Irma.

McMaster made the declaration Wednesday after the National Hurricane Center's forecast on Irma's track shifted east, putting the prospect of a major hurricane just off the coast of Florida about 200 miles away from Charleston by Monday morning.

The declaration allows the state to begin certain preparations for an emergency and allows McMaster to use the National Guard if necessary.

South Carolina evacuated much of its coast in October when Hurricane Matthew skirted the shoreline before coming ashore just north of Charleston.

The last major hurricane to hit South Carolina was Hugo in September 1989 with winds of 135 mph.

11:45 a.m. Irma's destruction

Some of the first images of the devastation wrought by Irma are coming out after the storm blew through the eastern Caribbean. See the destruction in the video below.

At midday, the storm was nearing the Virgin Islands.

10:51 a.m. More warnings as Irma churns through Caribbean

As Irma continues through the Caribbean, the eye of the "potentially catastrophic" hurricane is closing in on the Virgin Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A hurricane warning has been newly issued for the north coast of Haiti near its border with the Dominican Republic and a tropical storm warning for coastal areas further south.

Maximum winds remain at 185 miles per hour.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Jose in the eastern Atlantic is expected to gradually strengthen and form into a hurricane. In the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Katia is expected to hit the Mexican state of Veracruz.

9:45 a.m. Gov. Scott gives update

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Hurricane Irma is stronger and bigger than Hurricane Andrew was and urged residents to follow evacuation orders.

Scott said a mandatory evacuation for tourists in the Florida Keys began on Wednesday. He said an evacuation order will start on Thursday for residents. He said other areas may also announce evacuation orders.

He said the state is working to bring more fuel to gas stations and get supplies to stores so residents can be prepared. Photos on Tuesday showed long lines at gas stations and empty store shelves.

The storm appears as though it will make landfall in Florida late Sunday night or early Monday morning. Scott said the storm surge is the biggest concern for Florida.

Scott has also activated 1,000 Florida National Guard members and said that by Friday, all 6,000 available National Guard members may be asked to report for duty.

Scott said state offices will be closed on Friday.

8 a.m. Hurricane Irma continues over Caribbean islands

The most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history bore down on the islands of the northeast Caribbean early Wednesday, following a path predicted to then rake Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida over the weekend.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday the state is anticipating additional evacuation orders as the storm gets closer.

"Do not sit and wait for this storm to come. Remember, we can rebuild your home – not your life.," Scott said.

We are expecting additional evacuation orders as this storm nears our state. EVERYONE should be following the direction of local officials.

Hurricane Irma hit Barbuda at 2:00 a.m. EST, thrashing it with high winds as it marched on to other islands along its path on the Caribbean.

The massive Category 5 storm packed winds of up to 185 mph, the US National Hurricane Center said. It aimed at several islands, including Puerto Rico, Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the US Virgin Islands.

In the US Virgin Islands, Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp ordered a 36-hour curfew starting Wednesday at 6 a.m. local time.

"The beginning of the curfew coincides with the expected arrival of heavy rain and strong winds associated with Irma," he said in a statement.

By 8:00 a.m. EST, Irma's had made its way over the island of St. Martin, while the eye wall is pounded Anguilla.

President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday morning that his team is already in place in Florida should Irma make landfall.

Watching Hurricane closely. My team, which has done, and is doing, such a good job in Texas, is already in Florida. No rest for the weary!

As Hurricane Irma continues to roar across the Caribbean on a path toward Florida, a new tropical storm has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Katia formed early Wednesday off the coast of Mexico.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Katia's maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with some strengthening forecast over the next two days. But the hurricane center says Katia is expected to stay offshore through Friday morning.

The storm is centered about 105 miles east of Tampico, Mexico, and is moving east-southeast near 2 mph.

4:00 a.m.

French authorities have ordered inhabitants to remain confined to their house and not go out under any circumstances in the French Caribbean islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy because of Hurricane Irma.

The French ministry of Interior has issued the highest possible alert for both islands of French overseas because they appear to be in the middle of the path of the dangerous Category 5 storm.

Schools, public services and ports have been closed.

Authorities recommend the population stay in the safest room of the house and get prepared for power cuts and disruption in the supply of water.

Two other French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique have been placed under a more moderate alert.

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3:20 a.m.

Officials in the island chain south of the Florida mainland are expected to announce evacuations as Hurricane Irma moves west through the Caribbean toward the state.

Officials in the Florida Keys say they expect to announce a mandatory evacuation for visitors starting Wednesday and for residents starting Thursday.

The Category 5 hurricane is expected to reach Florida by the weekend. On Wednesday morning it was about 40 miles north of Antigua.

People in South Florida raided store shelves, buying up water and other hurricane supplies. Long lines formed at gas stations and people pulled shutters out of storage and put up plywood to protect their homes and businesses.

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2:00 a.m.

The most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history has made its first landfall in the islands of the northeast Caribbean.

The National Weather Service said the eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda around 1:47 a.m. Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down as the eye passed.

The National Hurricane Center said Irma was maintaining Category 5 strength with sustained winds near 185 mph and heading west-northwest on a path toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida over the weekend.

"Anguilla, all the way toward (Antigua and) Barbuda, all the way up even toward the British Virgin Islands (are) in grave danger of an eye wall hit at (at least) 150 mph -- that devastates the island, no matter what island it is," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Tuesday.

10:15 p.m. (Tuesday)

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis says his government has ordered a mandatory evacuation of islands in the southern part of the island chain because of Hurricane Irma.

People who live on the islands will be flown Wednesday to Nassau on the island of New Providence. Minnis says it will be the largest hurricane evacuation in the history of the Bahamas.

People who don’t evacuate will be at “great danger” from storm surge caused by what he called a “monster” hurricane. Minnis says emergency personnel may not be available to rescue them when the storm is at its height between Thursday and Friday.

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8:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump has declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as Hurricane Irma prepares for landfall.

The declarations authorize the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in those places.The dangerous Category 5 storm is wielding the most powerful winds ever recorded for a storm in the Atlantic Ocean. It is on a path that could take it toward Florida over the weekend.

Irma’s size and strength put the entire state on notice Tuesday. Residents and visitors prepared to leave in anticipation of catastrophic winds and floods.

Puerto Rico’s governor is also warning that the effects of Hurricane Irma could be catastrophic and calling the storm more dangerous than Hurricane Harvey.